As we’re nearing the end of our long-term test of a diesel-equipped Ram Heavy Duty, engineers have gone and extracted more torque from the Cummins engine—150 more lb-ft, to be precise, thanks to a new computer calibration for 2011. Unlike buyers of early-2011 Ford Super Duty trucks with the Power Stroke diesel, current Ram owners won’t be able to get a simple reflash to the rating of 800 lb-ft, because the Ram update is accompanied by a stouter torque converter. Replacing our torque converter is doable but would void the warranty. How are we getting on without that extra output? Just fine.

Early-Adopter Syndrome

For our purposes, we’ve never found this truck lacking for grunt. Granted, we haven’t yet bumped up against its 12,350-pound towing capacity, but we’re told a 2011 truck identical to our single-rear-wheel 2500 won’t have a higher tow rating anyway. Beyond load lugging, we appreciate the Ram’s torque for its ability to spin our truck’s rear wheels and reorient it, the long wheelbase making this activity particularly easy to control.

With winter keeping road trips and trailer-tugging junk-car acquisitions to a minimum, the Ram has mostly done commuter duty these past few months. Its longest trip was with senior online editor Jared Gall, who went on an ice-fishing expedition to Minnesota that conveniently coincided with this year’s much-hyped “snowmageddon.” One of few places in the Midwest the storm fully lived up to expectations (or fears) was Chicago, a hard-to-bypass waypoint on the way to the fishing hole. With a couple of shovels and a tow-strap in the bed—Gall wasn’t sure whether he packed them to aid the Ram or other motorists—he and his fellow fishermen went for it. Fortunately for them, the highways through Chicago were cleared by the time they arrived less than half a day after the snow had stopped (not the case for the visible surface streets), and the Ram capably managed what slop they did encounter.

Sensing a Problem

It turns out weather was the least of their worries. Once they arrived in Minneapolis, the check-engine light came on, leading to an aggravating afternoon at a dealer there. Halfway through a full reset of the truck’s computer to address a TSB possibly related to the CEL, the dealer’s computer network crashed, taking the truck’s brain with it. In the words of the service manager, this left our Ram “thinking it [was] a rock.” Better yet, once the network was repaired, the fix only served to extinguish the lamp briefly—it was back on a few hours down the road. When Gall returned to the office, we took the Ram to our local shop, where the cause was found to be a faulty O2 sensor. It was replaced under warranty and we haven’t had any trouble since.

The trip did illuminate one other problem: illumination. The truck’s low-beams don’t cast a big light net, and “the highs don’t do much beyond make the tiny patch of light the lows illuminate brighter—they don’t extend the visible area to an appreciable degree, although they might widen it a smidge,” Gall noted. He tested the lights by driving with the high-beams on and waiting for oncoming drivers to notice and flash their lights back. It took a while.

Have You Seen Oil Prices Lately?

Average mileage between oil changes: 5924. Since the last update, the Ram has been in for its 22,500-mile service (tire rotation and inspection, $19); a stand-alone oil-and-filter change ($109); and the 30,000-mile service, which coincided with the truck’s request for an oil change ($226, including a new fuel filter).

At this rate, we’ll probably visit the dealer only once or twice more for scheduled maintenance and oil swappage. The Ram has about 8000 miles left of its allotted 40K, which has some staffers—the ones with trailers and race cars to put in or on them come summer—looking for ways to keep the mileage down and keep our favorite tow vehicle around a bit longer. Either way, we’ll finish the rig’s term and provide the full report in the next few months.